A sudden concern for the Palestinian child

[bluesoul]

By Gideon Levy

Suddenly, Israelis are worried about the bitter fate of a Palestinian child. To judge by the public shock over Hussam Bilal Abdu, who was caught wearing an explosives belt at the Hawara checkpoint, it would seem that nothing of a humane nature is foreign to us, even when it pertains to an enemy and his children. But this is an infuriating show of concern. The fate of a Palestinian child only touches us when it suits us, when it serves our purposes and when our hands are not involved.

The hundreds of children who have been killed, the thousands who have been crippled, and the hundreds of thousands who live under conditions of siege and poverty, and are exposed every day to violence and humiliation - all this has failed to move the Israeli public. Just the child with the belt.

Why weren't we shocked by the killing of Christine Sa'ada, who was shot dead in an IDF ambush while traveling in a car with her parents in Bethlehem, exactly a year ago today? Why was there no public outcry following the killing of Jamil and Ahmed Abu Aziz, two brothers who were riding their bicycles in Jenin in broad daylight when a tank fired a shell at them? How is their killing, which was documented on video, less cruel? Why didn't we show pictures of Basil and Abir Abu Samra, who were killed together with their mother in their vineyard near Nablus, just as we displayed pictures of Hussam Abdu? Why have we never discussed the killing of children at the entrance to the Qalandiyah refugee camp, where a child is killed by Border Police or IDF fire every few weeks? Why is a putting an explosives belt on a child more shocking than firing a shell at him?

<snip>

Source: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/409293.html

[liberalhistorian]

1. Excellent piece, thanks

for posting. There needs to be equal concern for the victims, particularly the children, of BOTH SIDES. That means PALESTINIAN children deserve equal consideration and concern. Unfortunately, Palestinian victims all tend to get lumped under the mantra of "they're all terrorists", no matter who they are or what the circumstances.

[madrchsod]

2. why aren`t we shocked

by the child armies in Africa? or the new craze by the Christian Evangelicals in africa-child "witches" and their murders thru "exorcisms". add in the Sudan where Christian children are sold into slavery or murdered by Muslims.
and what have we done to save the children in the USA????????

[liberalhistorian]

4. Look, we can play the

"there is evil all over and this evil is worse than that evil" game all day (and believe me, I'm well aware of just how much material there'd be to use), but that NEVER justifies a particular situation.

The point the writer was trying to make was that everyone gets up in arms about every single Israeli victim, ESPECIALLY children, murdered by terrorists, when thousands of innocent Palestinian children have been killed or injured by Israelis as well and no one seems to give a damn, least of all the Israel-can-do-no-wrong-and-nothing-is-ever-its-fault crowd.

[histohoney]

6. Heartbreaking

and too true Friend. The whole world,including the USA, to many times does not value the wonderful gift of hope that is a child.

[TreasonousBastard]

3. One wonders if this has something to do with it...

http://www.prisonplanet.com/032504israelfabricated.html

Al Jazeera | March 25 2004

Palestinian leaders have accused Israel of fabricating a story about a 14-year-old Palestinian boy who planned to blow himself up.

<...>

Considering the source, I have no idea where the truth lies, but I imagine stories like this are circulating throughout the area and everyone has seen them.

The truth is never as simple as it may appear to us here, but one thing seems clear-- fundamental human decency is fast disappearing in the sea of blood in that area.

[liberalhistorian]

5. Indeed it is, and I really don't know

anymore if anything will ever change there; I'm beginning to lose what little optimism I had left for any kind of peaceful existence there.